Do a Double Dip

Seriously, in this case it’s not rude. In fact, when making Birria Tacos, tortillas are dipped in adobo just before they’re griddle-seared to crispness. Later, each guest is supplied with an individual cup of adobo, meant for dunking each taco as desired, thus amplifying the flavor even more. All in due time, though before we…

En la Cocina de Mama

Or, for Anglos, translated to English, “In Mom’s Kitchen.”  That’s where Mexico City chef Enrique Olvera had the best Entomatado de Res, or Beef and Tomatillo Stew, he ever experienced (or created) in his illustrious career.  Splendid as a standalone dish or in filling warm corn tortillas, it’s home-cooked meat and potatoes made infinitely more…

Make Your Own Dinner!

Why not?  All the ingredients are before you – the thin tender chicken slices, marinated in lime juice, cumin, chili powder and other Mexican-forward spices.  Then there’s the smoked poblano peppers, also sliced thinly, the rich crema (Mexico’s version of crème fraiche or sour cream) surrounding it taming the heat.  Also present are cooling sprigs…

All Dressed Up

What if you took chips and salsa, a combination so pedestrian and somewhat inauthentic Taco Bell has a version, and gave it major enhancements, taking care to make everything from scratch, down to pulling your own tortilla chips from the oven?  Then you’d have chilaquiles, a flavorful and satisfying dish much more likely to be…

Streets of East L.A.

Chances are, if you send someone out for tacos in L.A., you never will get your food.  Sure, the initial purchase will be made, but something will happen between then and when the meal is supposed to arrive.  Too much temptation.  Those aromas intoxicate, causing one to lose all other thoughts. It’s likely the buyer…

Hail, Caesar!

Not Caesar Augustus, but Caesar Cardini, the restauranteur who invented this salad at his establishment in Acapulco, Mexico in the 1920s.  By legend, Cardini ran out of ingredients for a conventional salad at a particularly busy moment and, instead of giving in, he persisted and improvised with whatever the kitchen had on hand. This included…

Cool Heat

It’s a pleasure that will become will become ever-more-frequent as summer unfolds in the months ahead – sliding into a glistening pool on a hot day, or the first sip of a cold drink dripping condensation in the sweltering humidity.  Today’s offering takes full advantage of this perfect contrast and brings heat, and then douses…

Tan Is a Color Too

That’s why the milk cream that saturates today’s Chai Masala Tres Leches Cake is caramel-colored, not white as it is in more conventional varieties.  Black tea mixes with spices, including cinnamon, cardamom and allspice, and the combination in turn infuses sweetened evaporated milk and coconut milk with an ethereal hint of orange, and gives it…

Your Salad Went on Vacation

Today’s entry provides a crisp, cooling escape from the swelter.  The first bite alone vaults one beyond the humidity and into a realm that’s green, lush and refreshing, far removed from July’s grasp. With refreshment comes clarity – there’s more to this than “just” a green salad, right?  A certain tingle, hint of spiciness perhaps,…

Various Limes

Indeed, today brings Chicken Posole, as well as the limes that make it so delectable a soup.  There’s the citrus, of course, which contributes a vibrant zing, a sweetly tangy melody that boosts the other flavors.  The fruit’s qualities are familiar and require little additional elaboration. However, another sort of lime is significant too.  It…